The Brilliance of the Sun
by When the Morning Dew Falls
Summary: This is a one-chapter Christmas fic about a young boy whose solemn wish is to see his father on Christmas Day and the problems he encounters while doing so. It's long, but it is not a waste! R


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The Brilliance of the Sun

Written by The Duke of Briarcliffe

  
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**THE HOUSE SMELLED **of baking sugar cookies and warm, opaque eggnog that was be-speckled with a flurry of cinnamon as brown as ebony. The pleasant aroma drifted from its origin and into the cozy den, where a crackling flame radiated its warmth from a stony hearth. Off in the middle of the floor, where a plastic workbench stood as soundly as the young boy who feverously worked on his masterpieces: a set of oblate spheres called ornaments that bore evidence of his creativity and of his lucrative imagination. 

With a plastic container of a glittery liquid substance hovering over a hollow ornament, the boy analyzed the different possibilities of how he could go about decorating this one bulb. He'd already used the phrases, "Merry Christmas," and, "Happy New Year," and, "Happy Holidays," and now he needed something else—something expressive and unique. "I've got it," he shrieked upon coming to a conclusion. And then, as carefully and neatly as he could, he wrote the phrase in a big, bold font.

"There! I'm finished!" he rejoiced as he moved the contents that were on his workbench next to the brilliant hearth. He pulled out each ornament individually so that they each could have their turn in being examined in the light, and of being marveled over by their creator, before placing them into their designated hollows. Giving his most recent addition a playful twirl he decided, "He'll just love this one! I know he will. I just know it!"

A few light footsteps breezed over the mellow beige carpet and soon enough, a small figure's smiling face could be seen, its features highlighted by the brilliance of the firelight. "[Those are the finest ornaments I've ever seen,]" he beamed, a grin spreading over his face.

Bursting with unsheltered pride and joy, he grabbed the tray of ornaments and dashed into the tiny kitchen, where a beautiful young woman with rosy cheeks stood over the counter, smoothing down a malleable glob of chestnut brown dough with a tan rolling pin. "Look Mommy! Look what I made!" he cried as he hurried pushed the tray at her. Luckily for him, she had lightning-fast reflexes that allowed her to retrieve the ornaments without any of them being broken.

"You've got to be more careful, honey," she sweetly told him as she pulled up the tray for a closer inspection. Her eyes widened as she watched her son's ingenuity thoughtfully expressed on each sphere. "What have we got here?"

"They're Christmas ornaments," he smugly explained, "and I made them all by myself."

His explanation prompted a light giggle on his mother's behalf. Recovering from her mirth she asked, "Well who are they for?"

"Well," lingered the boy, leaning in and evaluating each tree ornament. "I can give this one to Auntie Violet" he mused, pointing to a purple bulb with a mess of silver glitter gel on it. "Oh! I can give this one to Auntie Daisy," he exclaimed, pointing to a golden ornament with red glitter gel. And so he went until he came to the one special one. "This one here's for Daddy! Isn't it pretty-ful?"

"Your Dad?" she gawked. A crimson flush crept up her cheeks and her eyes lighting up in surprise before dwindling down into a state of melancholy iciness. She cleared her throat; "You made one for _him_?"

"Uh huh," he affirmed with a grin. "I made that one especially for Daddy. I think that one is the nicest of all!"

"_I'd say_," she murmured as she surveyed the ornament in a demure sort of fashion. Her eyes were glassy and her movements stiff. After observing how much work he had put into it—how much _love _he had put into it—she awkwardly placed it into its space and returned the tray to him. "That's very nice honey."

"You think so? You really think so?" he excitedly asked. Then, giving it yet another once-over he added, "Yeah. I think so too, Mom. He'll be so glad to see it when he comes over tomorrow."

A shock ran through his mother's body and her heart had stopped. She looked away from him and began to roll flat the dough, as if he hadn't uttered one single sentence. But what she hadn't noticed was that she had rolled the poor ball until it was as thin as a sheet of paper.

With arched eyebrows and big, cerulean eyes, the boy stood on his tiptoes to look at the battered dough. "Mommy," he fearfully began, "is there something wrong?" 

She went on as if he hadn't said anything once more. She snatched up the worn dough and crushed it into another ball and began her assault upon it once more. A hole appeared in the soft matter. She rolled her eyes and clenched her teeth.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, honey?"

The boy looked down at the hardwood floor and made small circles on it with his big toe, tears welling up in his eyes. "Daddy won't be coming home this Christmas, will he?"

She exhaled loudly before wiping her hands on her very tight apron, creating yet another smudge. She carefully pulled the handle to a drawer and pull out a small metal cookie-cutter, and began to gently press them into the dough. "I'm afraid not, honey."

"But tomorrow is Christmas, Mommy! He's supposed to be here...with me...with us," he pleaded as a surge of tears caused the small ponds to overflow, spilling onto his warm cheeks. "He supposed to be here."

She fell to the counter, her head buried in her hands. "Honey, I know that he's supposed to be here on Christmas. Of all days he's supposed to be here on Christmas. But this time, he just can't be here."

"But why, Mommy? Why can't he be here? Why?" he cried, the tears now streaming all the more freely as the realization of the matter was set into his mind. His little body quivered as another wave of tears rocked his body.

The young mother turned to face her lamenting child and stooped down as well as she could in order to lift him up onto the counter. Once he was there, she softly cupped his chin with one of her hands. "Daddy did something, honey. And now he's in time-out. He's going to be there for a long time."

The boy sniffled as he wiped his eyes with a splotched sleeve, and looked round the kitchen and living room from his high vantage point. "But he's not where I usually have time-out. I can't see him anywhere."

The mother suppressed the urge to smile at her child's innocence and instead took on a gentle tone as she explained to him. "You see, honey, you're father has been a very bad boy for a long time. And now, now he's spending his time out in a far off place, okay?"

"Where?"

"At Silver Cave, honey. That's where all those spooky and scary pokémon hide in the grasses and wait for little kids to come by so that they can gobble them up!" she said in a voice very much like and evil witch's, as she tickled him. When her attempt had not produced any results, especially that of the laughter type, her smile faded away.

"I'm not scared of anything," the boy stoutly declared, "I'm not scared of pokémon, not even the dark kind," he declared, but just a little less stoutly. "Where's Silver Cave, Mommy?"

"It's a place that's far, and far away, okay?" she returned as she scooped him up into her arms and kissed him on the cheek and, with a free hand, placed a metal cookie sheet into a warm oven. Then, she walked from the kitchen to the living room, where she bent over to grab her son's mess, but forgot the burden that she was carrying, and was thrown onto the ground by the pain.

"Mommy!" he cried as he crowded next to her and clutched her hand with his own, little hands. "Are you all right?" Only silence prevailed. "Mommy! Mommy," he entreated as he shook her hand.

She opened her magnificent cerulean eyes and looked around dazedly. A wry grin tugged at her lips as she propped herself up on her elbows. Madison wiped the damp perspiration that had mottled her relatively pale forehead. "I keep on forgetting. I have to stop being so carefree."

"Oh Mommy, you can't be carefree because you have me," he beamed as he wrapped his arms around her neck in a warm embrace. "And I can't be carefree because I have you!"

"You're right, honey," she agreed with a smile as she rose to her feet to lift him up: he was a slim child. "Now," she began, nuzzling him, "since we can't be carefree and we have to watch out for each other, it's time for you, little boy, to take a bath."

"Mom!"

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Later on that night, in a rustic compartment of the cottage, the little boy was placed inside a tiny wooden bed that was made of white oak and had a warm plaid blanket on its surface. The forever-blushing mother tucked him inside and brought the crisp sheets and warm blankets over his body. "Santa Claus is going to be here soon, you know? And he doesn't want any sneaky little boys to be awake when he comes."

"I'm not sneaky!" the boy affirmed with a purposeful finger stuck straight into the air. The mother grasped his hand and brought it back down saying that, "If I remember correctly...last year, you stayed up as long as you could just so that you wouldn't miss him."

The boy's cheeks turned a bright mauve as he slid in deeper into the covers, embracing their warmth and security, something that he wanted and needed so much at that time.

"Madison," the mother said, looking off in the distance. "I love you so much. I would sacrifice everything for you; you know that. If something bad was to happen to you then...well...I don't know what I would do. I would go crazy. I want you to know that, and to keep it tucked safely away in your heart. Will you do that for me? Will you promise not to make me feel that way?"

The young boy nodded fearfully. "I promise, Mommy, not to make you go all crazy," he acquiesced. Then, she took a soft hand and swept it over his forehead, whisking over his rusty hair before planting a kiss on his smooth forehead. "I want you to get a good night's rest, okay?"

"I will, Mommy."

She removed herself from the bed, and walked out of the door, not before turning around to look at him once more, and to turn off the mellow light. A nightlight in the shape of a Horsea then flickered on and the boy waited a few minutes, about twenty, before carefully climbing from his bed.

On his tiptoes, he skipped over to his rustic armoire and pulled from it, his snowsuit and boots—the big plastic kind that take up practically the entire leg. Sitting himself on the floor, he uneasily unzipped the suit and struggled to put it on, finding that it was much easier when his mother helped him. Then, he toiled with his gargantuan boots and wrapped a small scarf over his face before slipping on his dark blue skullcap and mittens. Fully insulated, he sat on the floor and waited for about an hour. It was indispensable that his mother not be awake and functioning because the tray of ornaments was still downstairs. 

When the neccessary time had elapsed—and it had done so in any way but an easy fashion—the boy crawled out of his bedroom. Finding himself at the top of the stairway, he firmly clutched the wooden banister. Kicking one leg over it, he slid himself downwards. "Oh no! How am I going to get down?" he whispered to himself. He frantically looked around. The room was dark minus the bright hearth and illuminated Christmas tree. Madison wriggled. "Whoa...ah!" he silently screamed and soon found himself flat on his back on the soft carpet. Regaining his senses, he rolled to the tree, where a bevy of sparkling presents awaited his opening. "Darn, I missed Santa Claus!" After spending many moments in tearful remorse, he set out to do what he had intended, when all of sudden, he heard a crumbling noise.

"Oh no!" he silently screamed as he dove over a stack of presents and pulled himself in as tight a fetal position that he could. He waited, hoping that his presence would not be discerned by whoever it was because if he had, then this mission would have undoubtedly failed.

Seconds passed and the room remained silent. He couldn't hear anymore of that crumbling noise. After arguing with his inner conscience, he finally decided to raise his head, like a soldier in the middle of a deadly silent night that had ducked behind some sort of trench. Centimeter by centimeter revealed his surroundings. Then, sick of all the suspense, he shot his head up at once. 

"Ah...nothing," he whispered. The adrenaline that had been pumping so violently before was now leveled away by some other sort of bodily fluid; that kind that makes one's body feel weird after one was scared—relief. A breathy sigh escaped his once, tightly pursed lips.

Nonetheless careful as he was before, he climbed over the mountain of gifts and looked over to the side, where he had placed his tree ornaments. They were still there; the only difference was that they were wrapped in a shiny green paper with silver tress with red garland on it. A smile covered his cherubic face as he adoringly clutched the circular box to his heart before going off to feel his way to the closet, where his backpack leaned against the wall beside it. After spilling the contents out onto the floor, he placed the box inside of it and slipped it onto his back as best he could.

"Now I have to get outta here," he mumbled. He looked around. No open windows. No open doors..."Oh wait!" There was the door in the kitchen. Walking at a lugubriously slow pace, he ambled down to the kitchen door, where there was a large square opening that was made for the pokémon. "Ugh," he grunted as he pushed the bag through first, before wiggling through of it himself. It was no easy task considering his applied girth.

The night air was crisp and cold. Then snow was soft and made crunching noises each time it depressed. A big and yellow, full Harvest Moon reigned supreme in the cornflower sky that was flecked with the glitter of an ultramarine star. A whispering breeze stirred up bits of snow and swirled into small semicircles. But in spite of the cool atmosphere, Madison was comfortably warm in his oversized snowsuit.

He took many steps forward, confused as to which direction he should go in order to get to Silver Mountain. He scratched his woolen cap confusedly and skimmed his foot along the snow, noticing that it sparkled in the moonlight in an enchanting sort of way. Still left in pensive thoughtfulness, his legs were suddenly lifted and he fell onto the hard, slippery ground.

"Ow," he groaned as he rubbed his back, lucky that he had padding there. Lifting up his upper body, he looked off into the distance, wishing that he knew where to go. A loud cracking sound resounded—much like that of crackling ice. "Oh no! I'm on our pond!" He clambered to his feet as fast as he could before the ice gave way. Water appeared after each heavy footstep he took, his mouth open in consternation. All of a sudden, while he was running, he felt a light push on his back that made him go sliding across the slick surface, screaming the entire time.

"Who's there?" he yelled out.

Nothing.

"Who's there?"

Silence. When...all of a sudden two small auras of blue light appeared in the dark sky, right in front of Madison's face. They began to wave from side to side, glowing more intensely after every motion. Scared straight, he slid on his behind, unknowingly creating a wall of snow in his wake that halted his progress. Then...something snapped inside of him. He leaped out of the way as a searing line of fire blasted the snow bank behind him. Water damped his snow face. "Wait Toga! It's me, Madison!"

A glorious aura of golden light lit up the area that he was in. A faerie-like creature with small Cupid-like wings that flapped appeared. On its breast were symmetrical red and blue rings and its head was shaped into a crown at the top. Its small eyes softened as the voice became familiar to him and soon tensed into worriment. 

"[Madison? What are you doing here? You have to go inside?]" Toga pleaded, drifting to his side and touching his arm. Madison snatched it away.

"I'm not going anywhere but to see my Daddy," he pouted on the ground, his hands crossed across his chest and his lip puckered. 

"[But you have to go, Madison. Your mother will be very worried.]"

Naturally he could not understand the pokémon language but, in a situation like this, what else could he possibly be talking about?

"I'm not going back in the house. I made a gift for my Daddy, and I'm gonna bring it to him no matter what." Then, invoked with an even more determined spirit, he brought himself to his feet, and began to walk away—in the wrong direction I might add.

The angelic Togetic hovered in place as he pondered the situation. The kid's mind would not be changed under any circumstances, and he couldn't just leave him to fend for himself. And, most of all, he couldn't go back in there and arouse his master...Madison would never forgive him and besides...how can you stop a child from seeing his father? When he saw Madison disappear between a pair of trees, Togetic called out, "[Wait! I'm coming!]"

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"Toga...are you sure that you know where you're going? Is this the way to get to Silver Mountain?" Madison whined as they struggled over the ground way above the trees.

"[You must've gained ten pounds since the last time I lifted you up!]" Togetic huffed as they began to descend ever the more slowly. "[I've been to Silver Mountain before; I know my way!]"

Madison began to tense up and squirm. "Toga, why are we getting closer to the trees? Toga, why aren't you answering? Toga! Toga! Toga! We're about to crash," he cried as the forest green of the canopies filled their vision more and more.

"[Stop moving, I'm losing my grip Madison!]"

"Ah!" he bellowed as the pokémon's small arms had faltered under the pressure and he began a rapid descent towards the Earth. The wind howled and screamed and whistled as his little legs aimlessly kicked at air. His stomach had managed to find it's way into his throat and he found that his mouth was open, but there was no noise emitted from it, in a sort of silent scream.

"[Madison!]" Togetic cried; he froze into place, horrified by the sight, too stunned to act promptly and save him. The trees were cleaved in by his little body and he disappeared out of sight. The sounds of a sickening thud rung in his ears; even though he had not heard he knew not what else could have happened.

Tears gushed from his eyes, an uncommon gesture considering that he was the world-renowned Pokémon of Happiness and Good Spirit. His head drooped in silent defeat. Part of him wanted to just turn round and leave but he knew that he had to inspect the damage. Reluctantly, his little wings ceased to flap, and he came down lower and lower to the ground.

The best place to check was where the trees gave way to his plummeting body so that was where he searched. The twigs scratched his pale skin but he didn't care. The rings on his chest glowed brightly, lighting his way through the labyrinth of twigs and leaves. When he had reached the mid-layer of the trees, he heard a great deal of tussling and scuffling. Filled with newfound hope, he darted downwards to the source of the racket...only to be knocked aside by a sharp appendage or something into the tree.

"Let me go! Let me go!" Madison hollered as he and the mass of brown feathers rose higher and higher into the sky. A loud caw pierced the sky as the teacher switched directions and darted off in the direction that Madison and Togetic had originally been heading. "Toga, help me! Toga, help!"

Shaking loose the confusion and dizzying pain of the blow, his mouth was pressed into a thin line as he shot up towards the sky. With the moonlight and the stars as his lighthouse and beacons, he soon found himself on the bird's path. But this bird, however, was much too fast for a measly old Togetic to keep up with. He had to attack.

"[I'm coming, Madison. Just hold on!]" Togetic began to rhythmically wave his arms from side to side in an enchanting sort of way. After about ten complete motions, a blue aura showed brightly from both limbs. "[I have to make this one count.]" Then, letting out a loud squeal, the power was forged together into a...seed.

"[Oh no! Flying pokémon have the advantage over grass attacks,]" Togetic moaned as the seed hung suspended in the space between both his arms. "[Might as well give it a shot. Leech seed!]" The seed shot out, looking very much like a comet with the tail of energy streaming behind it, at the offender. Letting out a loud squawk of surprise, the bird turned round and the seed cracked in half on its beak. Long vines then immediately covered its body—and Madison's—enclosing it completely. The red energy made a loud whirring sound and it began to zap out all of its energy—and Madison's. "[Oh no,]" Togetic screamed as Madison cried out in pain.

The attack, though well aimed, could not defeat the Fearow. Within seconds the Fearow, with pent up anguish, burst cried very loudly as it threw open its gigantic wings and broke free from its prison cell. A big eye focused on the previous attacker and, with the boy held tightly in his talons, darted towards him. 

Too stunned to move, Togetic receive the brunt of the attack and was knocked back several feet. The bushy trees provided him a blanket to land on by cushioning the blow. With a grunt, Togetic made a great effort to get back into the air. But Fearow was far from finished. 

"Come on Toga, I'm rooting for you. Come save me!"

Fearow squeezed tighter before charging at the tiny pokémon beak-first. The hit was instant and Togetic let out a high-pitched squeal as he was blown back an even further distance than before. He did not stop plummeting. When he landed, it was not on land, but in water. Deep, dark water.

It enclosed him on all sides, on all angles. He could barely turn his head to move, much less resurface for the vital oxygen. The cheerful pokémon could not be cheerful for once. He could not brighten this situation. Someone else had to, and it did.

Deep with the body of water there glowed a mellow, golden light. At first, it was faint and it was unclear. Togetic merely thought it a figment of his imagination. But, from sliding downwards and downwards, he noticed the light became bright and brighter. So bright until he could barely see anything. He wondered if it was heaven.

With a surge of bubbles, some unknown force pushed the angel pokémon higher and higher, further and further to the surface of the water. Resistance was futile. Togetic's life was in this creature's hands. Reaching the surface was like climbing to the top of a mountain. Much was to be felt. And much was.

"[I'll take care of this,]" the creature chirped as it bounced out of the water and faced its head to the sky. A dark figure was circling over the pond, waiting for its victim to resurface so that it could inflict even more pain. With a happy cheer, this creature began to summon up his energy—yellow energy that formed into one ball and then into one column.

"[Yah,]" Togetic right before his savior's attack was completed. A mass of pale green energy ascended higher and higher into the sky until it touched Madison's kicking foot. The energy washed over him and he was filled with a soothing feeling, as if he knew that everything would be fine.

"[Take this you rotten Fearow!]" the other pokémon yelled as a column of light appeared from where he was standing up to the creature overhead. An incredibly robustious scream reverberated into the night and Madison was dropped to the ground. His way down, however, was slow and unhurried. The green bubble had taken care of him and he lied dormant in there, sleeping with his thumb in his mouth, never stirring—not even when he landed on the ground.

The savior hopped up to the bubble and peered into the inside, marveling at the sight within. A cheery smile appeared over its wide face and its bright eyes. The two antennae flickered on, brighter than before. "[He's a cute one,]" he murmured. He was so transfixed that he didn't notice it when Togetic sidled up next to him and looked on thoughtfully.

"[You're right,]" he agreed with a nod. "[He's so determined to see his father today, for Christmas. He went through all of this just to reach him.]" His head drooped down in melancholy. "[And to believe that after all of this, we still won't get to Silver Cave, and we're lost in the middle of nowhere.]"

The other pokémon's head perked up on the mention of Silver Mountain. "[Did you say Silver Mountain?]"

Togetic looked up at him sorrowfully, "[Yes, I did. That's where his father lives. And there's no way possible for us to get there on time. It's very sad.]"

A cheerful grin stretched his lips. "[Don't be so pessimistic! I can help you. Leave it all to me. I saved you from that Fearow, didn't I? We'll be at Silver Mountain in no time!]"

"[But how?]"

"[You'll see!]"

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*~*(~)*(~)*(~)*~* 

A fervent tap resounded on a wooden door that was the front door to a small, antique cottage in the middle of the forest. Inside, from a window, one could see a blazing fireplace that filled the entire room with a ginger glow. In a worn-in recliner sat a relatively young man, his unruly obsidian hair falling down over his face. In his lap was a bright yellow rodent whose ears curiously perked up upon hearing the knocks on the door.

Rising ever so softly as not to awaken his pal, he sprung onto the floor and went to his pal's foot, which he nibbled ever so gently. The gesticulation caused him to jump up awake and to look around in a frenzied manner. The tap once more was heard.

"Who could be visiting at this time of night, Pikachu?"

Pikachu shrugged his little shoulders as his friend rose to his feet and tied the flannel robe tighter around his frame. Slipping into a pair of warm moccasins, he slid over to the door and turned the brass lever. Slowly, he pulled open the door...and practically fainted when he saw who it was.

His heart began to pump faster than before. His throat was dry and tight. He could barely utter the simple name. "Misty?" he gasped, his voice quavering in emotion.

Misty stormed into the room and walked straight to the fireplace to warm her hands by the fireplace. She rubbed them together, loving every measure of friction, before placing them warm upon her flushed cheeks. Once she felt like she wasn't freezing anymore, she turned to her host, staring at him indignantly.

"What, no greeting?" he asked, somehow finding his voice.

"Our child is missing," she simply said, ignoring his last query.

"What?" he asked puzzled, unsure of whether he had heard her correctly.

"Madison is gone, lost. He is not at home; he's obviously not here; and I don't know where else he could be. He's out somewhere with Togetic, shivering in the cold. I just know it!" She bit her cheek as an effort to stop those stinging tears. "And it's all your fault."

Fighting all of the other emotions that he was feeling right then he asked, "My fault? My fault? How can it be my fault? I haven't done anything."

Wincing in pain she said, "Oh don't act like your innocent. My son would have never come out here if it weren't for you. If you were at home. But you just had to go and ruin everything. You're so selfish. Did you even care?"

"Of course I cared," Ash defended himself. "It's just that...please, can we not talk about it? What's done is done. We have to worry about what is important right now."

"Our marriage was important. You destroyed it! You ruined all of our lives. And you crushed Madison. You should have seen him today, no yesterday. He was crying over you. Did you know that?"

Ash looked down. "No I—"

"I didn't ask you to talk!" she interjected. "Now, he was crying because you wouldn't be there with him. Because you just had to go and screw things up. Because she had to go and screw things up. I swear; I wish that I could have lived in the dark rather than face this all at once. How could you?"

"Well, I—"

"Ah!" Misty screamed as she watched as a puddle of water formed at her feet and a long stain covered her legs. "Oh my God! Not now, please not now. Of all times, why now?"

Ash stared off in mystification. He'd never seen this before, yet he was sure that he had learned of it somewhere. 'What was it?' he wondered. He scratched his chin pensively as Pikachu tugged at the hem of his worn blue jeans and pointed at the fluid. "Uh...Misty, I think your um...water just broke."

Misty glared at him with scorching eyes. "Yeah, you think?" She walked around the cabin, her forehead mottled with perspiration. Her chest heaving. "How can I bring another child into this world without knowing where the present one is?" She stopped and turned to Ash. "Well don't just stand there like the idiot you are; do something!"

"Like what?"

Misty growled as she rushed up to Ash and grabbed the collar of his shirt, shaking him senselessly, then slamming him into the door. "Get me some pillows and a blanket! We have to be ready for this. Ugh!" she grunted as she clutched her swelling belly. "I'm having a contraction!"

"What's that?"

Misty roared out loud as she stormed around the cabin and began to throw things on the floor. She pulled at her hair too. Then, seemingly recovered, she charged onwards to the linen closet, where she produced all the necessary materials and made a neat pallet on the floor with a pile of pillows. "Thanks for living in some deserted cabin, Ash. Now I'm going to have this baby with an epidural!"

"Uh...sorry, I guess."

****

*~*(~)*(~)*(~)*~*

"[Thanks a bunch, Pidgeot,]" Togetic said as they all climbed from his ruffled back and onto the crunchy snow. Togetic gave him a sweet kiss that made him feel more happy and cheerful before he set back off into the air. After their transportation had left, Togetic turned to the green orb in which his charge was kept. "[We're here, Madison. We're here.]"

He began to stir. "What? We're here already? Oh wait! What happened to me?" he asked confusedly, rubbing his eyes with his mitten-ed hands. 

"[It's a long story,]" the other pokémon said.

"Who are you?" Madison asked as he took a few steps forward. He peered at him closely, even touching the two dangling antennae to see if they were real. "You're cool. Did you help us?"

He shook his head.

"Hi, I'm Madison;" he introduced himself, forgetting the task at hand. He took a few more steps forward until he was close enough to pat him on the head. The other pokémon did not so much as flinch or stir in anyway; instead, it just stayed there with a sanguine expression on its face.

"[Madison! We have to go inside, I hear a loud screaming and it sounds like Misty,]" Togetic urgently announced. He twitched his head in uneasiness as he gestured towards the door. "[You come too, friend. We might need your help if they're fighting.]"

Madison snapped out of his trance in order to do what he had set out to do in the first place. Christmas was today; Christmas was then; Christmas was now. He had to get his present to his father at that instant. Grabbing his friend by one slippery fin, he trudged down to the door and began to wail upon it.

"Just a second!" Ash yelled from the other end. A mass of hurrying footsteps followed his proclamation and pretty soon, the door was thrown open. His hair was even more unruly than before, and his face was covered in sweat. The look of surprise and confusion on his face was incomparable to any other and it is beyond description.

"DADDY!" Madison cried as he leapt onto his father with such ferociousness that even he didn't know that he had possessed. He clung to his father for dear life. Ash hardly knew what to do but to lie there—that was...until Misty barked out another order for him to carry out.

"ASH, I NEED YOUR HAND NOW. I HAVE TO PUSH! OH WAIT! MADISON? MADISON, HONEY, WAS THAT YOU?" she roared from her pallet on the floor. "COME HERE SO MOMMY CAN SEE YOUR FACE."

Both men immediately obeyed her wishes and soon enough, both men were by her side. Misty ravenously clutched her child, so tight that it was hard for him to breathe. And with what little energy she had, she smothered him in kisses. "Don't you EVER leave me again, under ANY circumstances. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Mommy, I understand." Then, looking down at the red stain in the white sheets and the position that his mother was in, he asked, "Mommy, what's happening? Why are you like this? Is that blood?"

"Madison, honey. I'm having your little brother or sister, and I need for you to help me by staying quiet, okay." Then, adding anger to her voice she said, "I have to push again so don't pass out on me again. Here it comes! Ungh!" she grunted as she focused all her energy on the one task and one task only. "Come on, Ash. I think it's out."

Mystified, Ash lifted up the sheets and pulled out the specimen of human nature that he had helped produce. A tuft of brown hair crowned its head and a look of extreme discomfort framed its face. Looking down, he discerned that it was a woman-child, and he proudly announced it.

"Really?" Misty gasped, a slow smile creeping over her face. "Give her to me; let me see her." Ash unreadily did her bidding and pretty soon, Misty was cradling her baby. "Call 911." Madison shyly peered over his mother's shoulder at the newborn baby, who had begun to cry.

"She's too loud," Madison complained as he clutched his ears.

Misty chuckled, sounding completely worn out.

"Look at my friend, Mommy," Madison told her as he brought round the blue and yellow pokémon. "Wow, that's a Chinchou. I always thought they were adorable. Did he help you get here?"

"Uh huh," Madison chirped. "Oh Mommy, can I keep him for Christmas? I'd give up any one my presents to keep him and to give Daddy his present. Oh please! Can I? Can I?"

Not very much wanting to put up with his whining at that moment, she said, "Of course you can. Raising a pokémon takes a lot of responsibility—"

"Hooray! Hooray! You hear that? You can stay with me now!" 

Misty shook her head.

"Oh Daddy," Madison said, hurrying to his pack and rummaging around for the ornaments. When he pulled up the tattered box, he let out a massively loud sob that prompted Ash to rush by his side and inquire about what was wrong.

"It's broken! And I spent so much time on it! Wah," he bawled as he stomped his feet on the ground and pounded his fists on the floor. Togetic and the Chinchou placed an appendage on his should for comfort. 

"Oh—Madison. Don't worry about it," Ash said as he rubbed his hair affectionately. He examined the cardboard box and the shattered remains of ornaments before discovering that there was one that wasn't as beaten up as the others were. "Oh look," he pointed out. He dug his hand into there and pulled up the silver and blue ornament that, in all honesty, had horrendous markings on it. But there was one message on it that made his heart melt and overflow with affection. On the childish present, there, inscribed on it was: **_I LOVE YOU DADDY MERRY CHRSTMAS._**

He smothered him into a tight embrace as he said, "I have a newborn daughter and a beautiful tree ornament. Why Madison, I think that this is the best Christmas ever."

"Really?" Madison asked in youthful candor.

Ash nodded.

Who would've known that that was the last Christmas that they ever spent together as a family, even if it was broken?

****

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End file.
